YuGiOh! The Next Generation
by MachGirl
Summary: Haushinka Muto has wanted to be like her dad, Yugi, for as long as she can remember. But does she know what she's getting into, following in his footsteps? Soon her group of pals is thrown into a magical mission to save the world from Apep, Lord of Chaos.
1. Peachparents

**Disclaimer: **Well, as much as it depresses me, I do not own _Yu-Gi-Oh!_ It would have been so much fun if I had. No GX, no 5Ds (motorcycles? Honsetly?) And everybody would have gotten together! The cast of children is owned by me, however.

Oh, yeah, I don't even own Haushinka's name, I guess. She's named after a Green Day song, which is owned by Billie Joe Armstrong and his crew (Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool)  
**________________**

needforspeedracer . deviantart . com (My DeviantArt account where this series started, and has gone up to chapter 49, also features art based on the series, look for a clickable link in my profile)  
Now .... on with the story!  
**________________**

**Peachparents**

_Yugi and Téa_

Yugi Muto went out to get olives four years ago.

He still hadn't returned.

And every weekend for those past four years Téa Gardner, Yugi's childhood friend, his secret love, came to the Turtle Game Shop in hopes of seeing him once more. Each and every weekend, her hopes were crushed. She would stay, chat with Yugi's grandfather Solomon Muto for a while, and then she would storm out, wondering why exactly it was she wanted him to be back so badly.

"Téa, dear, you are like family to me," said Grandpa Muto one day, "and I may not be around forever. I would be honored if you took over this game shop should something happen to me."

"Don't talk like that, Mr. Muto," she demanded. "You're fine, and you're going to be fine for a very long time, so long that I'm sure Yugi will be back by then and happy to run the shop."

How unfortunate that she couldn't even fool _herself_ with such a claim.

"Téa, it's a lovely day," Grandpa pointed out, motioning to the bright windowpanes on the door. "I would feel guilty if I knew I was keeping you inside. Go along now; I can manage fine by myself."

"Are you sure, Mr. Muto?" she asked. "I really hate to leave you."

"Absolutely positive," he assured her. "Now, I won't tolerate you here for another moment. Go, Téa."

"Goodbye, Mr. Muto," she bade him. She placed her pocketbook over her shoulder and made her exit. A little bell sounded as she opened the door. The sound was torture to her. Every time she heard it, it meant another week had gone by and she'd failed in her mission. He had not returned.

Téa sat in Domino Park, among happy children playing and the trees swaying in the wind. She and Yugi had once been children, playing so innocently. What had happened between them? What had she done so wrong that he chose to cut her so completely out of his life?

Then she chuckled. She knew exactly what happened. Nearly half their lives ago Téa had fallen in love with the Nameless Pharaoh, a sprit that lived in Yugi's Millennium Puzzle. Yugi felt unwanted ... the unwanted side of a love triangle ... the loser.

"I'm sorry," she said to the air. "I'm so sorry I did that to you. That I made you feel inept ... unworthy." Devastated she looked to the sky. The dancing wind blew her hair into a dance around her face, "If only I knew where you were ... I would tell you that."

"That was lovely to hear," said a deep voice. "Now can I get it on tape?" Téa looked up the man who dared to chuckle at her misery ... and she gasped.

"Yugi?!" she screamed. "But that's ... not possible!"

"Is it now?" he asked. "I _do_ live here, don't I?"

"Where have you _been_ for the last four years!?" she screamed. Yugi pulled out a jar from a plastic bag he had on his wrist, "I swear, nearly every store in the world was out of olives."

"Don't try to pull the wool over _my_ eyes, Yugi Muto," Téa chastised. "Where were you really?"

"You know me," he replied. "I get tied up in trouble _every_where I go."

"Melody and Tristan got married last year," she said. "We wanted you to be there, but ... no one could find you."

"So, Tristan's finally happy," Yugi thought aloud. "That's good."

She stood up to face him, almost incredulous of his presence. He was finally taller than her. It came fifteen years late, but he'd finally had his growth spurt. He looked more like the pharaoh now. But she didn't care anymore. This was Yugi, her childhood friend; Yugi, her confidante; Yugi ...

"I love you," she said suddenly.

"What?" he asked. Yugi had waited since age sixteen to hear her say such a thing, but now he wasn't so sure how to feel.

"I love you," she repeated. "And I know, even if you've convinced yourself that you don't, you still care for me."

"Of course I care about you. But when we were kids ..."

"I was a stupid sixteen-year-old," she said. "But I need you, Yugi. Ask your Grandpa. I've been lost these four years. I love you!" She wrapped her arms around him and wept.

Yugi gently put his arms around her. This was a new beginning. They were no longer children, and no longer friends; they were lovers.

And soon after that, they were man and wife; and father and mother to a beautiful baby girl.


	2. Going Polar

**Going Polar**

_Mai and Joey_

It was a message! That bastard Duke Devlin didn't even have the nerve to actually _talk_ to him! But of course, that's because he knew he'd never survive!

Joey Wheeler was eating his morning doughnut and drinking some coffee, ready to go to his room and watch some crappy morning TV when he heard the phone ring.

"Aw, Dammit!" he yelled. He dashed up the stairs, juggling the coffee cup and pastry, and trying to get to the living room. He shouted, even though he knew whoever was calling couldn't hear him, "I'm a-comin,' I'm a-comin'!!"

"Hey, 'dis is Joey Wheeler!" shouted his greeting on the answering machine, "leave a message after da beep."

Joey picked up his pace up the steps, spilling coffee all over the staircase and his white shirt. He screamed. "Wait! Wait! Wait!" He tripped on the final step and fell to the ground, flat on his face. The coffee cup was on his head, brown liquid streaming down his hair and face.

"So we'll see you, Joey," said the familiar voice. The person stopped talking; the phone started to beep, signifying the presence of a message.

"Aw, sonova..." he muttered under his breath. He looked around quickly, "And where's my doughnut?" He took the cup off his head; placed it, upside-down, on the table; rustled some coffee out of his hair; and pushed the 'play message' button.

"Hey, Joey, it's Duke Devlin."

What the hell did _he _want?! Joey groaned, "THIS I spill coffee over my head for?"

"Are you there?" asked Duke. "Well, I have--me and Serenity--have some great news."

"Can I tell him, Duke?" asked the innocent voice of Joey's younger sister, Serenity. "Can I, please?"

"Of course you can," Duke replied. Serenity took the phone from Duke's hands and said into it, "Duke just proposed to me, Joey. I'm getting married! I can't wait to see you! Now we'll be able to see each other all the time!" She giggled. "We'll be sure to call back later, while you're home, so we can talk some more."

"So we'll see you, Joey," said Duke. The message ended. Joey began to scream at the machine, as if Duke could hear them, "You WHAT?! How DARE ya propose to my sista!? Don'tcha gotta ask me for her hand or sumthin'?! Ya dice throwin' BASTARD!" He sank angrily into the seat by the window and stared outside.

His little sister was getting married before he was!

But who would he marry anyway? There was no woman in the world who could ever earn that level of affection from him. Except, of course ... no, he couldn't think about her. She was off God-Knows-Where, possibly never to return.

"Mai," whispered Joey.

The sound of a motorcycle engine roared through the street in front of his house. Joey stuck his head out of the window and screamed, "Hey you, do ya mind? I was deep in ... mental stuff!"

The figure on the bike leapt off. "Mental ... stuff?" asked a strong, feminine voice. "That's a first for you..." the biker pulled off their helmet to reveal long curly blonde hair and violet eyes.

"Isn't it, Joey?" she asked.

"Mai?!" he asked. He hadn't seen Mai Valentine in years. He'd tried to keep himself from thinking about her, ease the pain. If he'd known a single thought would breathe life back into this enigma from his high school days, he would have let those thoughts flourish.

He ran back down the steps and sped outside to her. Shocked, he asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Your sister is getting married," she said as-a-matter-of-factly in an attempt to change the subject.

"Yeah!" he replied. "I just found out."

"Really?" she asked. "They called me at least three weeks ago."

"Three WEEKS?!" he yelled.

"I suppose they were just scared about what you'd say," Mai offered as solace.

"Whateva," Joey pouted. "Where were you for Yugi and Téa's wedding?"

"My arrangements to get here fell through," she explained. "I really wish I could have been there. Was it beautiful?"

"It was great," he answered. "They had an open shrimp bar, all you can eat!"

"That sounds great," Mai said skeptically.

"So, what'd you come out here for?" he asked. "Just wondering if I killed Duke yet? That's going to be tomorrow, in case you'd like to sell tickets."

"I came to ... see if Kaiba invited you to his wedding," Mai mumbled.

"Kaiba's getting married?!" asked Joey.

"Yes," said Mai. "I suppose he figures if he can't beat Yugi in a duel he can at least beat him in the fancier wedding department."

"That bastard didn't say a word to me! We're all supposed to be at PEACE!!!"

"Tell you what," Mai began, "I'll have you be my plus one."

"That sounds like a date," Joey said.

"Don't flatter yourself, kid," Mai yelled over her shoulder as she trotted back towards the bike. Joey ran after her shouting, "Mai! Hey, Mai!" He cut in front of her and asked, "Where ya going?"

"I'll see you around, Wheeler," she retorted. She pushed past him and got back on the motorcycle, "I've got places to go."

Joey stood in front of her bike and held onto the hood.

"Do you _really_ trust me not to run you over?" she asked.

"Would it kill ya not to run away for once in your life?" he inquired back. "I know you think you're all alone in the world, but you're _not_. You've got friends who love you ... and me. I've got all the time in the world for you, Mai, but I'm getting kind of impatient here."

She picked up the helmet and started to put it on her head. Suddenly, she stopped and asked, "You mean that?"

"Of course I do!" he replied. "We're friends."

"After that big speech, we better be MORE than FRIENDS," Mai scoffed. She bent over the bike, took Joey's face into her hands, and kissed him.

And though it was some time after the Mutos and the Kaibas and the Taylors and Devlins, Mai and Joey eventually became the Valentine-Wheelers (an attachment that killed Joey a little bit inside each time he heard it).


	3. The New Kid

**The New Kid**

_Sixteen Years Later_

Yugi Muto was well into his forties by now. His only worries were his wife, his daughter, and his game shop. One day, Haushinka Muto, his lovely teenage daughter, came outside in her school uniform only to see her father muttering over something as he swept the street.

"Is something wrong, Daddy?" she asked.

"You want to know what's wrong, Haushinka?" he asked. But he gave her no time to reply as he pointed across the street to a large house with a rabbit on the top. A bunch of posters were in the windows and kids were running in and out. "THAT'S what's wrong!"

"I don't understand," she mumbled.

"What do you see?" he asked.

"A game shop," she said.

"And what do I own?" he followed up with.

"A game shop," she repeated.

"Exactly!" he yelled. "Their mascot is even a rabbit! It's a rabbit versus a turtle! They're mocking us, Haushinka! Shouldn't you be more upset?!"

"Probably," she sighed. "I'll see you later, Dad." She gave her father a kiss on the cheek and ran up the street.

Haushinka Muto hated the Domino High School female uniform. The short skirt, the bowtie, she found it all so demeaning ... and rather ugly.

"Why do we have to wear this every day?" she asked, tugging at the sea-green skirt, desperately trying to make it longer. "And why does it look so much different than the boys' uniform?"

"I'd take it any day over the abysmal wardrobe my father picks out for me," snorted a cynical voice. Genesis Kaiba stood tall with her arms crossed. A pin adorned the collar of her pink blazer. It said KC, for Kaiba Corporation. She HATED the thing.

Genesis stared down at the kneeling Haushinka as she pulled up her knee high socks.

"Should I call in the troops?" asked Gen.

"Nope, I'm good," said Haushinka. She stood up and smiled, slinging her backpack over her arm. "Let's go." They began walking side by side down the street to Domino High.

"Is your dad still all twisted out of shape about us being friends?" asked Haushinka. She was already aware that Seto Kaiba was not among her father's lobbyists.

"You ask me like I actually listen to the things he says," Gen sneered. "You know that my father and I aren't each other's biggest fans."

"Oh," muttered Haushinka. This wasn't the first time she had thought perhaps Gen was only hanging out with her and her family to get her father mad.

"Ladies, do I have news," said a voice upon entry in the classroom. Sarah Valentine-Wheeler slid her butt on the nearest desk to get closer to them, "Two words: New kid."

"We're getting a new kid?" asked Haushinka.

"What did I just say?" retorted Sarah. "It's a boy; coming in all the way from America."

"An American?" asked Gen. "He'll never fit in."

"You ought to like him," Sarah deduced. "He's a duelist. The American champ, from what I've heard."

"So what's he here for?" asked Haushinka.

"Rumor has it he's gonna try to be the next King of Games," replied Sarah.

Haushinka snorted. It was common knowledge among her and the rest of her little gang that _she_ was going to be the next King--well, _Queen_--of Games. Whoever this kid was, it was official, Haushinka Muto hated him.

Until six minutes from then.

"Okay, okay, butt in the seat Miss Wheeler," said their homeroom teacher.

"It's Miss _Valentine_-Wheeler," Sarah scoffed quietly. Nonetheless, she sank into her desk and became quiet.

"As I trust Miss _Valentine_-Wheeler has told you all, we have a new student joining us today..."

He droned on. Haushinka had decided not to pay attention. After all, what did she want to know about the boy who was only here to swipe her father's title?

"So, please welcome Jake Dwight," finished the professor. The door slid open and the light footsteps of a boy could be heard.

Haushinka looked up. Curiosity had gotten the better of her. There was no harm in seeing what this boy looked like. Their eyes met, and she dropped her pencil.

"Oh, um," she slid under the desk to go get it.

"Miss Muto, would you like some help?" asked the teacher.

"Oh, no, I," she mumbled, "I just--I dropped my pencil." She held it up, as if its presence would vindicate her strange actions.

"Very well," the teacher said. "Mr. Dwight, please take the empty seat by Miss Muto."

_He's going to sit next to me?_ thought Haushinka. _Oh, kill me now._ Gen gave her an incredulous glance. She returned it.

Jake Dwight gave a short nod to the teacher and made his way to Haushinka. He took a seat in the empty desk next to her and said, "Hello."

Haushinka, not wishing to be rude, looked over to him bade him, "Hello."

"Are you related to _Yugi_ Muto?" he asked.

"He's my father," she replied.

"Then I've heard about you," he said. "Aren't you quite the duelist yourself?"

"Nowhere near his level," she snorted. But I _am_ pretty good."

"You're modest," he smiled. "I like that."

"And you're the American Champion?" she asked.

"Our duelists are nowhere near your caliber," he said, scratching the back of his neck.

"So you're _not_ here to try and duel for the King of Games title?" she inquired.

"That'd be nice," he admitted. "But I'm really only here because my parents started a business in the neighborhood. They'd probably like me to be the Game King, but I already know it'd be much harder than getting the US Champ title. _Total_ deck reconstruction."

"Would you like to stop by the Turtle Game Shop after school today?" she offered.

"I don't know..."

"I'm sure my parents would like to meet you."

Gen Kaiba snorted. Haushinka slowly turned her head to her friend and glared at her.

"You must be Seto Kaiba's daughter," Jake deduced, leaning forward to get a good look at her.

"In a manner of speaking, I suppose," Gen answered.

"And do you duel as well?"

"You think I have a choice?" she asked coldly. Jake leaned back in his seat. He muttered to Haushinka, "_She's_ a ray of sunshine."

"She's just a typical Kaiba," she replied. "But she's really a good person. She's my best friend. ... How about that invitation? Are you in or out?"

"I'm in, for sure," he nodded.


	4. Romeo Dwight & Juliet Muto

**Romeo Dwight and Juliet Muto**

_Duel One_

"Haushinka's in love!" mocked the sing-song voice of Sarah Valentine-Wheeler as the girls waited outside the schoolhouse at school day's end.

"Cram it!" said Haushinka through gritted teeth. Sarah's cousin, Jack Devlin came out of the building and joined them, "What's up, cous?"

"Haushinka's sweet on the new boy," she notified him.

"I am _not!_" Haushinka shrieked. "Stop saying that before he hears you!!"

"I don't know what the problem is," said Jack. "He's crushing on her, too."

"Really?" asked Haushinka. "I mean, what makes you think that?"

"He wouldn't stop talking about you in gym," he snorted. "It got pretty annoying after a while."

"I'm sure he was just talking about me being a duelist."

"Well, those were the _words_," Jack admitted. "But I could see through him."

"Just like _I_ can see through _you_,"Sarah added. Together they declared, "It's a Wheeler thing."

Haushinka decided to refrain from saying that she didn't think Mr. Wheeler was all that perceptive. And Mrs. Devlin was still as green as she was at age fourteen, or so family friends said.

Kenneth Taylor emerged from the building and gave a quick kiss to Sarah. The two had been dating since eighth grade, but they hadn't told their parents. They both knew Mr. Wheeler would flip out on Mr. Taylor.

"Have you met the New Kid?" he asked.

"He's in our homeroom," Sarah told him. "And apparently Haushinka is trying to initiate him into the gang."

"What?" asked Kenneth.

"They're in loo-ove," mocked Jack. Suddenly, a hand crawled by his head and grabbed his ear. He moaned, "What are you _doing?_" Haushinka pulled his head down to her mouth by the ear, "Will you SHUT UP?! I don't want Jake to think I'm some ... weirdo!"

"And why would I think that?" asked a voice. Haushinka looked up, saw Jake, and gasped Jack's ear tighter.

"Hi," she said.

"Is this stuff normal in your group?" asked Jake.

"Actually..." Gen Kaiba began, strutting out of the door. She took one glance at Haushinka and Jack and said, "that's every day."

"And does everyone get a grab at Devlin's ear, or is it just Haushinka?" he asked.

"Usually just me," Haushinka replied. She let Jack's ear go. He fell to the floor. She motioned to the sidewalk and said, "Come on, Jake, we should get going."

"And you just leave him there?" he asked.

"Yep," they admitted in unison.

"Okay," shrugged Jake.

"Come on, Gen," said Haushinka. "Let's go." She, Gen, and Jake started up the street together.

"So, have either of you competed in any tournaments?" he asked.

"We both have," said Gen.

"And we've both won," added Haushinka.

"Ever dueled against each other?" asked he.

"We try to refrain from being in the same tournaments," Gen explained. "Because we know it would just be turned into a spectacle."

"So no," he nodded with comprehension. "Will you ever?"

The two girls looked at each other and deduced, "Maybe." They came to a fork in the road.

"This is my stop," Gen said. "I'll see you two at school tomorrow." She went to the right.

"Come on, Jake, we're this way," said Haushinka, pulling him to the left. Jake looked around at the street, "Okay."

As they continued, he observed aloud, "This street seems awfully familiar."

"There's my dad's shop!" she declared, pointing to the Turtle Game Shop.

"No way," said Jake.

"What's wrong?" asked she.

"My house is right across the street from here," he answered. He pointed over to the Rabbit Game Shop.

Haushinka's mouth dropped. She turned to him at breakneck speed and whispered, "That's _your_ family's game shop? That's the business they opened here?"

"Well, yeah."

"Why couldn't you tell me that _before_?" she asked in a whisper. "Do you realize my father's been spazzing out about that all day?!"

"Well, I figured it wouldn't get me any extra points if I admitted our families were going to be the biggest rivals on the street."

"Oh, God," moaned Haushinka.

"Haushinka?!" shouted a voice. Her father came out of the shop shouting, "Dinner's ready; come in the house."

"Jake!" yelled another male voice. The man Haushinka could only assume to be Jake's father emerged from the Rabbit Game Shop and said, "Your room's not going to pick itself up, young man, get back in here!"

Then the adults saw each other.

"Dwight?" yelled Yugi.

"Muto?!" screamed Jake's father.

"Haushinka?!" gasped Yugi.

"Jake?!" screeched his father.

"Dad," whispered Haushinka.

"Daa-ad!" moaned Jake.

Their fathers pointed at each other, "YOU!"

"Your temptress daughter is trying to seduce my son!" shouted Mr. Dwight.

"Your snake of a son is trying to take advantage of my daughter!!" retorted Yugi. Jake and Haushinka watched them go back and forth until they both screamed, "IT'S TIME TO DUEL."

"Haushinka!" demanded Yugi.

"Jake!" called Mr. Dwight. The kids glanced at each other and reluctantly went to their fathers.

"Yes, Daddy?" asked Haushinka.

"I want you to duel for the family."

"Gee, Dad, I don't know if I..."

He looked down at her persuasively.

"I mean, yeah, for sure," she nodded. Jake looked at her desperately. Reluctantly he said, "Haushinka Muto..."

"Jake Dwight..."

"IT'S TIME TO DUEL!"


	5. A LoseLose Situation

**A LoseLose Situation**

_Duel One: Part 2_

Right in the middle of the street Jake slipped a Kaiba Corporation Duel Disk on his arm. Haushinka lifted her arm. Yugi slipped the Duel Disk on her arm.

"If my son wins, you close your game shop," said Mr. Dwight.

"Done," Yugi replied.

"WHAT?!" yelled Haushinka. "Dad ... you _love_ this shop! You can't put its fate on me!" Yugi took his daughter in a hug and said, "I love you more. I believe in you and this deck you built."

"O-kaay," said Haushinka reluctantly. "If you're sure."

"And if my daughter wins ..." he began

"Jake and I get to go to lunch together ... alone. Saturday?" Haushinka cut in.

"Deal," Jake said.

"HOW IS _THAT_ FAIR?!" yelled Yugi. "EITHER WAY I LOSE!" He was in _no_ way ready to see his little girl date. After all, he himself had only loved one girl his whole life ... and they began their romance at thirty.

"You won't go easy on me just because I'm a girl, are you?" asked Haushinka.

"Wouldn't dream of it," replied Jake.

"Good, because you're going to have a hard enough time!" She shuffled her deck and placed it into the holder. She drew six cards from it and said, "Ladies first. I play Dunamas Dark Witch ... in attack mode!"

A hologram of a redhead fairy-like creature draped in white appeared. She opened her wings and stood firmly.

"End turn."

"Oh, she's scary," said Jake with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. He drew a card from his deck, "Good thing she won't be around for long. I'll play Raigeki."

Haushinka gasped. A faux-thunderbolt directly struck her Dark Witch. She shattered.

"I'm place one card facedown," Jake continued. A giant card back appeared in the space for magic and trap cards. "That'll end my turn."

"I'll put down Mystical Elf in defense mode," said Haunshinka. A blonde-haired, blue skinned elf in a green gown crouched to the ground, eyes closed and hands clasped in prayer.

"End turn."

"One card facedown in defense mode!" called Jake "End turn."

"Get cracking, boy, you're boring me!" yelled Mr. Dwight.

"Hey!" yelled Jake. "No backseat dueling, please!"

Haushinka watched the spectacle and tried hard not to laugh. She drew a card. "I play Harpie's Brother, in attack mode! Harpie's Brother, ATTACK!"

A brown haired creature with red wings swooped down over the facedown card. A purple-haired witch in a black dress appeared briefly and shattered.

"Witch of the Black Forest allows me to put one monster with defense of 1500 or lower in my hand," said Jake. "I draw the Summoned Skull."

_Oh no,_ thought Haushinka. _If he gets a monster on the field for more than one turn, I'm going to have to face the Summoned Skull. I have to keep his field bare._

"End turn," she said aloud

"I put one card facedown in defense mode and end my turn," Jake narrated.

"I draw," commentated Haushinka. She smiled at the card, "and summon Gemini Elf to the field in attack mode!"

Two elves, one red, one blonde, appeared on the field in a battle pose together. Haushinka took three hands out of her hand and placed them on the field. "I play Black Pendant and Axe of Destruction to power them up from 1900 to 3400! Harpie's Brother, attack the facedown card!"

The monster swooped over the card again. A small green serpent appeared and shattered.

"Gemini! Attack him directly!" The elves jumped in the air and kicked him in the back together. Haushinka winced. Jake's life point counter went down from 4000 to 600.

"I place one card facedown and end my turn." A large card appeared in the Magic and Trap Zone.

Jake glanced from the field to his cards. He could see the outcome already ... and, with the bet on, it excited him somewhat. But he wasn't a quitter. He was going to see this through.

"I play Gemini Elf, in attack mode!" A clone of the two elves appeared on his field.

"Attack the brother!" he shouted. Together the elves jumped on Harpie's Brother. He shattered and Haushinka's life counter went down 100 points, to 3900.

"End turn."

"I can't bear to see family fight," said Haushinka. So I'll take a page from your book and play Raigeki!"

Jake's elves hugged each other and screamed until the lighting hit them.

"Now, Gemini!" yelled Haushinka, "Direct attack!" The elves hit him over the head and his life point counter went to zero.

"Over the head," he said, holding his head. "THAT'S a new one." He offered his hand for a handshake. She took it.

"Good game," he told her.

"You, too," she admitted.

"So I'll pick you up on Saturday?" he asked.

"You got it," she smiled. They let go of each other's hands and smiled. He couldn't win. Not this time. And even if he could, with the prospect of taking Haushinka out hanging in the balance, he probably wouldn't have _let_ himself win.

"You know I'm going to perk up my deck," he said. "I'll beat you next time." She grinned wider, "Whatever." Both of them knew it would probably never happen.

And, standing behind them, Yugi Muto wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry at this victory.


	6. Kaiba Family Values

**Kaiba Family Values**

Haushinka did the first thing she could think of immediately after she won her duel--and lunch--with Jake.

She called Gen Kaiba.

"Genesis!! Genesis!!" she yelled into the phone. There was a disgruntled moan, and from the distance Seto Kaiba's voice said, "Haushinka Muto would like to speak to you."

"What's going on?" asked Gen. "I leave you for an hour and all of a suddenly you're screaming like a schoolgirl into my phone?"

"I AM a schoolgirl," Haushinka pointed out. "And so are you!"

"What happened?"

"You know Jake?"

"The kid we met ten hours ago in homeroom, yeah," said Gen.

"Well, his family owns that game shop my dad's all hell-bent against," Haushinka explained.

"And so ends the shortest high school romance in history," snorted Genesis.

"That's what I thought, but no!" said Haushinka. "We dueled and we betted and ..."

"Tell me you trounced him."

"Totally," she said quickly. "And now he's taking me out to lunch this Saturday!"

"Whoopee," said Gen unenthusiastically. But she'd honestly meant it to be sincere. After all, she was _obviously_ supposed to be happy for her friend. She just had a bit of a twenty-fourseven sarcasm filter on her speech. It had been inherited from her father.

"Gen!" she shouted.

"What?"

"I need your help!" yelled Haushinka. "I've never done this before!"

"And I have!?" she asked. "Why don't you just ask me how to fly the Blue Eyes White Jet!?"

"You CAN fly that jet!"

"My father doesn't know that yet," Gen said through gritted teeth, glancing through the door to see if he was watching. "What makes you think I know anything about boys and dating? I'd stay single all my life if it were up to me."

"But Jack Devlin is totally in love with you," said Haushinka.

"That idiot Devlin likes me?!" she asked. She'd been totally oblivious to the fact if it was so. "As if he'd even stand a fraction of a chance."

"He's Joey Wheeler's nephew," laughed Haushinka. "That'd drive you dad _nuts_."

Gen made an interested moan, then shook her head, "Not worth it."

"Anyway, he's all about you, so you must have some kind of ..." she waved her hands about, trying to put what she was trying to say in words, "AIR about you."

"Yes, it's called oxygen," Gen replied. "And I'm pretty sure you've got it, too."

"Oh, ha, ha, you're just hilarious," said Haushinka, sarcasm evident.

"I try."

"Well how about, for just a second, you pretend you have a heart and GIVE ME SOME ADVICE!" yelled she.

"Alright, alright," said Gen. She searched her mind for one of those sappy 'let's stick together 'cause we're pals' speeches Mr. Muto was always giving. She said, rather labored, "Well, this kid obviously likes you because you're you. So be yourself."

"I could have told MYSELF that!" moaned Haushinka.

"Then call yourself and stop tying up my line!" yelled Gen.

"Fine!" said Haushinka. In a calm voice, she bade her goodbye, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, bright and early," said Genesis. They hung up in unison.

"Gen, honey, are you off the phone?" asked a soft voice.

"Yes, Mom," she yelled. A woman came into the room, lovely platinum blonde hair dancing on the air.

Katrina Kaiba, lady of the house, was born with that mane of lovely white hair. Sometimes, if you caught her in the right light, it seemed blue, only a few shades lighter than her sapphire blue eyes. She wore a lady's business suit usually, with a pin and belt that donned the Kaiba Corporation logo. Around her neck she wore a card pendant.

The entire family had those necklaces. Inside them was a picture of the family from when Gen was still a child. Seto and Mokuba, however, had ones of each other as children, so they wore two each.

"How was school?" asked Katrina.

"We got a new boy."

"Is he nice?"

"He's in love with Haushinka," said Gen. "I think he'd pretend to be nice even if he wasn't." Katrina chuckled, "Well, I'm going to go tell your father he can use the phone. Come down for dinner in an hour."

"Okay, Mom," nodded Genesis. Her mother was easily her favorite parent.

"Seto?" asked Katrina, knocking of her husband's office door. He grunted. Living with him for over sixteen years, Katrina knew that was the signal to proceed. Seto was sitting at his desk, where three pictures were perched.

"You keep pictures in here?" she asked. "How come I've never seen them before?"

He grunted again.

Katrina peered over the side of the table. Among the pictures were their wedding, Genesis's school photo from last year, and Mokuba. In his hands was another picture. Katrina slipped behind him and peered at the photo. It was Seto and Gen from back when she was only six. They were wearing identical scowls.

"Maybe she'd be a little warmer to you if you'd stop chastising her for having a best friend."

"It's not just her," he growled. "She hangs out with the goody-two-shoes and the dice boy and the monkey girl, too. It's like Yugi's little gang of losers has been reborn ... and MY DAUGHTER'S a part of it!" He gripped the picture frame tighter, let it go, and placed it on the table next to the more current one of their child.

"She loves you, Seto," said Katrina.

Another grunt.

"Don't act like you don't care about it!" she demanded. "You want our daughter to like you, now don't you?" But she didn't wait for him to answer, "She does. She HAS to ... or she'd be hating herself. She IS rather like you."

"She has your eyes," he mumbled. "And your ..." he sighed, as if he wanted to wash his mouth out with soap for even _thinking_ the word, "essence."

Katrina laughed, "You know, Seto, there are times, when our daughter is screaming at you and you only answer me with caveman noises ... and you're yelling about Yugi Muto ... when I question what got me here in the first place. Then you say things like that, and I remember."

Another grunt.

"I'll just take that as Seto Kaiba-speak for 'I love you,'" said Katrina. Seto didn't say things like 'I love you' out loud. Living as an orphan had given him this complex that was built around the idea that feelings were weak. She was all about her feelings. They had a good balance. More than once, she'd used it as her reasoning as to why they were soulmates.

Come to think of it, Katrina wasn't exactly sure how their relationship started. She'd been working at a rival company of his, but she'd met him on a rainy day when she didn't have an umbrella and he gave her one and she'd thought it was so sweet.

Then there was something about a conference in Egypt and being able to recognize the town without ever being there before. And the Blue Eyes White Dragon. He'd let her hold one of his Blue Eyes. He'd never even let Mokuba do that.

Then Yugi Muto and Téa Gardner got married and she said "Isn't it beautiful?" And about six months later he proposed.

"I would enjoy it if you decided to be my wife," he had said. That was all. He'd never even 'popped the question' so to speak.

Katrina gave her husband a quick kiss on the cheek and made her way to the exit.

"By the way," she said on her way out, "the phone line's free."


	7. That Wheeler Charm

**That Wheeler Charm**

Mai Valentine-Wheeler sat amongst a pile of paperwork. She was arranging the family taxes. After all, they involved math, and that was _not_ Joey's strong suit.

"One daughter," she said, writing a 1 in the 'children' column. "There. Done!"

"Aw, damn," said a voice outside the door. "Mai, baby, could'ya help me out wit dis!?" Mai closed her folder and ran to the door, "Coming, Joey!" She opened the door and caught Joey's grocery bags before they could fall to the floor. She moved to the side and allowed him to go in.

"I got da groceries, just like ya asked!" he said proudly. Mai looked inside the bags, "Candy? Potato chips? Chocolate syrup? Joey, what did you do with the list I gave you?"

"Aw, that stuff was boring; so I improvised," he explained.

"I'm home!" called Sarah as she came through the open door. "Mom? Dad?" She looked at her mother's expression of pure annoyance and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Your father went grocery shopping," Mai replied. "That's all I have to say." Sarah peered behind her mother at the pile of junk food.

"Did you buy Twizzlers, Daddy?"

"Of course!" he declared. "I couldn't forget my baby girl's favorite!"

"Oh, Daddy, I love you!" said Sarah, hugging him tightly. Joey grinned at his wife.

"Did you at least get the tofu?" Mai asked.

"To-WHATA?!" he asked.

"No," she answered her own question. "Joseph, it takes a lot of maintenance for me to stay the gorgeous woman you married. And one of the things necessary for such maintenance is EVERYTHING I PUT ON THAT LIST!" While annoyed, it was obvious Mai found the situation amusing. "From now on we do grocery shopping together."

"You got it, babe," said Joey.

Wanting Twizzlers (and sensing a tender moment between her parents coming along) Sarah said, "I'm going to call Kenneth." She kissed her parents on the cheeks, "See you later."

"Our girl and that Kenneth are best buds, just like me and his pop were!" stated Joey. Mai shifted her eyes around the room. While her daughter didn't know this, she was well aware Sarah and Kenneth were more than friends.

"Yes, friends," she said nervously. "Best friends." She pulled Joey to the kitchen, "Come on, Joe, I'll make that tuna casserole you like so much. I'll even put potato chips on the top."

"God, I love ya, Mai," Joey praised her. Mai giggled, smiled, and rested her head on Joey's shoulder.

Sarah was lying on her bed, legs rested vertically on the wall. She asked into the phone, "Why is this whole 'telling our parents' thing so important to you?"

"Well, why doesn't it mean anything to you?" asked Kenneth. Sarah moaned, "Because I'd like for my dad not to kill you."

"Sarah, we are boyfriend and girlfriend."

"I know," she said.

"Well, our parents have to know eventually."

Sarah sighed, "I'll see you at school tomorrow, Kenny."

"Sure."

And he hung up on her without saying goodbye. She growled, "Hmph," and dialed the number to Aunt Serenity and Uncle Duke.

"Hi there, Uncle Duke."

"What's up kiddo?" he asked. "Do you want to speak to Jack?"

"Yes, please."

"Think you can take a minute out for your aunt?" he asked.

"Yes, of course!" she declared. Duke passed the phone to his wife.

"Auntie Serenity!" she called.

"Sarah!" she said. "I'm so sorry Duke and I couldn't make it to the family dinner last month, but we were busy at a Dungeon Dice Monsters convention. It was so exciting! Jackie wanted to come, but..."

"It was no problem!" she clarified. "I loved having him around."

"Promise you'll come to visit us; I feel like I haven't seen you in forever!"

"I'm sure my father would love for all of us to get together," Sarah concurred.

"Well, I'll put Jackie on the phone," Serenity sighed. "Tell your daddy I said hi."

"I will."

Moments afterward, the voice of her cousin said, "'Sup, Sarah?"

"Oh, Kenny's all mad at me about the parent thing."

"Oh, boo hoo, Cousin Sarah's having problems with her little boyfriend she's got wrapped around her finger."

"Help me!" she moaned. "I can't tell my dad, but if I don't tell my dad I'll lose Ken and I really like Ken, and ... DON'T JUST SIT THERE! SAY SOMETHING!"

"Sare, I'm the single one in the family!" he shouted. "What advice can I give you?"

"You're so useless!" she cried.

"No one asked you to call me!" he moaned.

"I don't understand how my cousin could be so DUMB!"

"Oh, I'M the dumb one!?"

"Yes, YOU'RE the dumb one!!"

Joey, anxiously waiting for his wife's casserole, came by the room and asked, "Who ya talkin' to?"

"Cousin Jack, the dummy!" she yelled. In the phone she screamed, "You want me to make a list?! FINE!"

"Dat's my girl," snickered Joey.


	8. Why Did It Have to be You?

**Why Did it Have to be You?**

"Tell me a story," said Haushinka to her mother. Night had fallen and she was to go to bed soon.

"You haven't asked me to tell you a story in years," Téa observed. "I thought you were 'too old' for 'fairy tales.'"

"Well, I'd like to hear one now. A REAL one."

"Alright," said Téa. "Do you have a request?"

"Tell me the one about when Dad saved you from the bomber!" begged Haushinka.

"I'd really like it better if you called that one 'first date,' honey," said Téa.

"But it sounds so much cooler this way!" chuckled Haushinka.

"Fine," Téa sighed. "Well, your father and I were sophomores, and it was summer. Domino Park was open, and ..."

"Why Dad?" asked Haushinka when the story was over.

"What?"

"Why Dad?" she reiterated. "Did you always know you were going to be together?"

Téa laughed, "Of course not! I've told you all about the Pharaoh."

"Seriously, Mom," she said. "I'm sixteen. Do you think I still believe in the Pharaoh?"

"I don't think there's a real reason," Téa said. "But if I had to give one, I guess it would be that we were friends all our lives and so comfortable with each other. We were always just a hop, skip, and a jump away from where we are. And I'm so glad we're here... with you." She hugged Haushinka.

"I hope my first date with Jake isn't a disaster like yours was with Dad," Haushinka wished aloud.

"Oh, Haushinka," Téa said, "don't get high hopes. Almost no one finds their soul mate in high school."

"Except for you and dad and Uncle Joey and Uncle Tristan and Aunt Melody and ..."

"Good night, Haushinka," said Téa as she turned out the light.

Her daughter continued, "Uncle Duke and Aunt Serenity, and..."

"Good night!" shouted Téa. She shut the door. Haushinka stopped talking, laughed, and went to sleep.

"Come on, I've got something to get from my locker," she said to Gen that morning, pointing at the schoolhouse.

"Fine," said Gen. "But I don't see why _I_ have to be there. To guard your precious locker?"

"Just come on!" insisted Haushinka, stomping up the stone steps to Domino High.

"Hey, Kaiba," called Jack Devlin as they entered the building. Genesis glanced behind her. He was standing with Kenneth and Jake.

"What is it?" she asked.

He threw a die at her. It spun around her head and came back.

"Dice dweeb," snorted Gen.

Sarah came up behind the boys, slipped her arm into the crook of Kenneth's, and said, "Can I?"

"Of course," he smiled. They walked inside together.

"Haushinka!" demanded Gen. "Let's get to that locker of yours." When she didn't answer, Gen looked at her. She was busy waving to Jake Dwight!

"Hello!" called Gen. "Space Cadet!"

Haushinka snapped out of her trance. She muttered, "Sorry," and turned back to go in the building. Gen followed her.

Jack Devlin threw another die at her head as she was leaving. It darted past her eyes. She caught it in midair and threw it at his head. The die collided with his forehead and fell to the floor.

"Dream on!" she screamed, following her friend into the schoolhouse.

Jake snickered.

"Shut up, dude," barked Jack.

"Hey, I've been in the country for two days and I'm taking Haushinka out to lunch Saturday," said Jake. "I get to laugh."

"You and Haushinka?" asked Jack.

"Yeah," he confirmed.

"Lucky bastard"

"Huh?"

Jack pointed to the doors of Domino High. Haushinka and Gen were no longer there, but apparently he felt it emphasized his point. He yelled, "Haushinka is one of the most popular girls at school! When we were freshmen, she had senior class boys asking her out!"

"Really?"

"So did Gen Kaiba," he added. "But I'm starting to think she's asexual."

"Why is that?" snorted Jake. Jack pointed to himself, "Really? What girl out there doesn't want a piece of this?"

Jake laughed again.

Jack glared at him, then continued, "But anyway, Haushinka turned everyone down. I bet she could have gotten into senior prom as a freshman if she wanted ... but she never said yes. She said yes to you?"

"Actually, she kind of asked me."

"Lucky bastard," repeated Jack.

"Are you trying to fake me out?" asked Jake.

"I wish!" exclaimed Jack. "Make a good impression, buddy. ..." He started inside the school.

"Oh, yeah, that doesn't make me nervous at all," Jake said with venomous sarcasm.

"Is it true you've been asked out by seniors?" he whispered to her in homeroom.

"What?" she asked.

"Jack Devlin says seniors have been into you," he elaborated. "Is it true?"

"Well, yes," she confessed. "So?"

"So ...?" he asked. "So why me?"

Haushinka shrugged and doodled in her open notebook. "I don't know. Those guys only talked to me because I'm Yugi Muto's daughter. You were the first guy who, I guess, made me feel like ... you didn't care about that. You wanted to know me." She blushed, "Plus, I think you're kind of cute."

He stared at her and smiled, "I think you're cute, too."

"Gag me," muttered Gen Kaiba with a roll of the eyes.


	9. Stepping Out Again!

**Stepping Out (Again!)**

A plane was landing in Domino airport. Two women emerged. One, a blonde with glasses, sighed, "It's so good to be back in Japan."

The other, a tan, older woman, sighed, "I must say I do not share your enthusiasm."

Suddenly, a man in a turban and robes sauntered to them.

"Ishizu!" he cried.

"It is as we have feared, Shadi," she confessed.

"So the Shadow Games have not been put to rest," he said.

"Have you heard yet?" she asked. "Yugi Muto and Seto Kaiba both have daughters."

"Children?!" asked Shadi. "But they know not the true power of the shadows ... or the inheritance of such power..."

Today was the biggest Saturday of Haushinka Muto's life so far... her first date.

"How do I have a whole closet of clothes and NOTHING to wear!?" yelled she to no one in particular, but one might have thought it was to the companion sitting on her mattress.

"Why didn't you ask Gen to help you out?" asked Sarah.

"Does Gen strike you as someone who cares about clothes and dating?!" snorted Haushinka. "She'd tell me to throw on whatever and let her go home."

"Okay, that is SO true," admitted Sarah. She lifted herself from the couch and stood before the closet.

"I guess we should go head-first into this."

Meanwhile, across the street, Ken Taylor had volunteered to help Jake out, feeling it was a wonderful chance to brag about his dating prowess.

"How are you gonna say hello?" he asked.

"Hi, Haushinka," said Jake. Kenneth gave him a thumbs-down, "I'm already asleep."

"You're critiquing my hello?!" yelled Jake. "What? Is there some kind of special date 'hello!?'"

"Just put some EFFORT into it!" shouted Ken.

Jake snapped his fingers on both hands, pointed at Ken, and said, "He-ey."

"Oh, wow, the Fonze," Ken uttered sarcastically. "I said 'effort' not 'cheesiness.'"

"You know what?" asked Jake. "I never asked for a love guru!

"Yeah, well, you're stuck with me," replied Ken. "... Sarah's with Haushinka and I'm her only ride home."

"Fine then," said Jake. "Just... don't wear out your welcome or you just might find a KaibaCorp Duel Disk lodged in your head!"

While Jake was losing his patience with Ken, so was Sarah with Haushinka.

She had emerged from her wardrobe in a black tank top that read "Muto" across the chest and a pair of black shorts. The apparel was fine ... for what could be considered fine for Haushinka... but her hair sat on either side of her head in ponytails!

"Ponytails?!" she shrieked. "What are you? Five?"

Haushinka pulled her brown locks out and muttered, "I thought they looked kind of cute..."

"Yeah, on a five-year-old."

"You got your gibe skills from your mom, didn't you?" asked Haushinka.

"What?"

"And your attention span from your dad," she mumbled.

"Haushinka!" called her mother's voice. "Come down here; there's someone we'd like you to meet!"

"Who's that now?" asked Sarah.

"Some family friend from about two decades ago," she snorted. "Come on, I'm sure, whoever they are, they know your dad, too."

They galloped down the steps.

"Yes, Mom!?" called Haushinka. Tea pointed to a diminutive young blonde in glasses.

"Rebecca, this is our daughter, Haushinka," she introduced them, "and Joey's daughter Sarah." At the mention of her name, Sarah waved.

"Haushinka," Téa continued, "this is Rebecca Hawkins."

"Oh!" exclaimed Haushinka. "THIS is the American girl you said was..."

Tea grabbed her daughter's shoulder with a vice grip and interrupted, "an absolutely _wonderful_ person! Yes, this is her. She's in town helping with the new Egyptian exhibit at the Domino Museum."

"Very nice to meet you, Miss Hawkins," Haushinka offered her hand. Rebecca took it, "Nice to meet you, too."

"You are an archeologist?" asked Haushinka.

"Yes, like my grandfather, Arthur Hawkins."

"Oh, Great-Grandpapa's friend."

"Have you heard anything from those two?" asked Yugi.

After his grandson disappeared for four years looking for olives, Solomon Muto decided to make the most of the rest of his life, and so he'd gone traveling with his old friend.

"I'm sure they're sitting somewhere on a beach laughing and thinking you took the store under," Rebecca laughed.

"What reason would there be to think that!?" protested Yugi. Tea patted his shoulder. As mature and deep-voiced as he was now, in his heart he was still that sweet, shorter-than-normal high-schooler.

"Aw, cutie, don't get mad!" Rebecca insisted. "I kid! Speaking of which, we'd love to see you and your kid at the exhibit. It just opened today."

"We'd love to!" shouted Yugi.

"But we can't," added Tea. "Haushinka is busy today. Remember, Yugi?" She flashed him one of those looks that implied even if he didn't remember he better pretend he did.

"Oh, yes, of course," he mumbled. He had not forgotten, naturally. He just wanted his daughter as far away from Jake Dwight as was possible.

Seeing Rebecca's clearly shocked face, Yugi elaborated, "My daughter is being treated to lunch ... by a boy. Jake Dwight, you might be familiar with him."

"I am," she said. "I've seen him duel before. He is very good and a rather nice boy from what I can tell."

Yugi rolled his eyes just as the doorbell rang.

"That'll be him now!" gasped Haushinka. Sarah clapped and squealed, "Oh, Haushinka, you have to tell me EVERYTHING as soon as you get home!"

"Why?" she asked.

"Because, do you think Gen will want to hear it!?"

"I'll call," Haushinka concurred.

"Yugi, they won't get very far if you don't open the door," said Téa.

"Is that a promise?" he asked.

"OPEN THE DOOR!" yelled all four women. Yugi reluctantly went to the front door, turned the knob, and allowed Jake and Ken to enter.

"Hi," he said nervously with a small wave.

"Hi!" she replied enthusiastically.

"Let's get out of your hair," Téa said aloud to the kids. "Come on, Rebecca, we'll have tea."

"Ooh, what kind?"

"Peach!"

The women started to the kitchen, but Yugi stayed put beside the door.

"Um, Yugi," said Téa. "Peach tea!"

"I'll be there in a moment," he assured her. "You two go on." Haushinka shot her mother a look that begged 'please stop him!'" Téa gave her a helpless shrug and went off with Rebecca.

Yugi looked down at Jake.

"A fine morning, isn't it, Mr. Muto?" the poor boy asked.

"My wife tells me that I should at least try to consider your intentions," said Yugi, ignoring Jake's question. "So tell me, what are your intentions?"

Jake looked around the room for a while, thinking, before he replied, "To eat lunch."

Yugi glared at him.

"You don't understand, sir," Jake prattled on, "we don't eat breakfast at my house, so by lunch time I'm pretty starving and..."

"I MEAN TOWARDS MY DAUGHTER!!" shouted Yugi.

"Oh, yes, of course," said Jake in a panicky voice, "m—my intentions ... I—I have intentions? I—I mean ... I have intentions?!"

"I think that speaks enough on his behalf!" shouted Haushinka. She ran over to him, grasped his arm, and said, "Come on, let's go before he figures out something _else_ Mom told him to ask."

"And let's go pick up Jack and do ... that thing we were gonna do," Sarah told Ken.

"Okay," he said, taking her hand, "let's go."

"What does _that_ mean?" asked Jake. Haushinka shrugged, "I've hung out with them all my life and I _still_ don't understand them sometimes. Come on." Together they walked out the shop.

Yugi watched them go up the street until they were out of sight. He turned to glance at the Rabbit Game Shop. Richard Dwight was staring out his doorway as well.

"This is all your fault, Dwight!" yelled Yugi. "Why couldn't you teach your son how to duel!?"

"You want to say that to my face, Muto!!?" he screamed back.

Yugi glared as if he was going to go over there, but just then, a hand crept behind him and pulled him inside the house.

"Ohhhh..." moaned he, "Sweetheart, I wish you wouldn't do that. It's so ... emasculating."

_And being asked if you were in sixth grade until college wasn't? _wondered Téa.


	10. Date With Destiny

**A Date With Destiny**

As they traveled down to Domino City, Jake was telling Haushinka how he came to be the American Champion.

"So I finally get my Dark Magician on the field, and the guy summons Buster Blader!" he dictated. "And I'm just like..." He dropped his jaw and widened his eyes. Haushinka laughed.

"But then I drew Yami, so ..."

"You like the Dark Magician?" she asked.

"He's my favorite card." said Jake.

"My father's too!" she declared.

"Oh, great," moaned Jake. "Something else for him to hate me for."

"My dad doesn't hate you," she said. "He hates your father, I won't lie, but he might just dislike you by association."

"My 'intentions,'" he muttered.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that," she laughed. She looked around the street and declared, "Here's the square! Where to now?"

"It's no big deal to me," he said. "Come on, what's your craving?"

"Hmmm..." she said, staring at the restaurants.

"So, what's _your_ favorite card?" asked Jake as he dunked a nacho into some cheese.

"Magician's Valkyria," she replied without hesitation, taking a bite out of a chip of her own. "But I have a Dark Magician Girl, of course."

"I must really suck; you didn't get a chance to play either one in our duel," he thought aloud.

"I was having a bad draw day," she said. "It wasn't you."

Across the room, three people sat at a crowded table, watching the young couple over newspapers and behind sunglasses.

"Good GOD, Haushinka!" moaned the lone girl. "You aren't gonna nab him with duel talk!"

"The lucky bastard!" snorted the red-haired boy.

The couple chortled at something.

"I bet it wasn't even that funny," said the red-head. He turned to his companions. The girl and the last boy were tandem-eating a Twizzler from opposite ends. When they came to the center, she gave him a quick kiss and giggled.

"Sare!" whispered the red-head. "We're supposed to be snooping on THEIR date! It's not supposed to be one for YOU GUYS!"

"Jackie's just mad he's all alone," said Sarah, taking off her sunglasses.

Suddenly a newspaper landed over her head.

"We're supposed to be incognito!!" whispered Jack. Sarah wrestled the newspaper, yelling, "Get this thing off my head!" When Kenneth finally got it off the three looked up to a rather unpleasant sight.

"You've been _following_ us?!" shouted Haushinka.

"Umm... not at all," lied Jack. "Do you OWN this restaurant? I didn't think so! It's all a coincidence."

"Well then, 'coincidentally,' we have to go now," said Haushinka. "Come on, Jake, we'll go to the arcade."

They went to the pier.

"I meant in about an hour or two," she laughed. Jake chuckled while watching a Canadian goose swim in the water.

"I don't know why they call them Canadian," he said. "I've been all over North America, and that was the only country I didn't see them in."

"Maybe they got tired of the cold and decided to move."

"I like the water over here," he observed. "Very nice and clear."

"America's nice, too," she said. "I've been there with my mother. She's a ballerina. Just last year she was in Romeo and Juliet at Lincoln Center in New York. It was a dream come true for her."

"I saw that," he told her. "It was lovely."

When they got to the park, they sat on a bench together, she on one side, he on the other, and watched the pigeons peck at the dirt.

"I once had this theory that pigeons were going to take over the world."

"What?"

"There are so many of them!" he yelled. "And they're EVERYWHERE!"

"They're dumb!" she retaliated. "I think they're dumber than the dodo bird!"

"But if they all banded together, I bet they could do it," he said. "That's why I feed them whenever I can. When they finally do it, they'll look at me and just fly away."

Haushinka laughed out loud, then said, "You just might be slightly insane."

"So I've been told."

Finally, while they were walking down the streets after sunset, she managed to ask a question that was plaguing her.

"Do you miss your old home?"

"Huh?"

"You just--you don't seem very homesick," she said. "You've been here for about a week and you seem perfectly at ease. Don't you miss America?"

"Less and less every day I see you," he responded. He slapped a hand to his forehead, "That sounded really cheesy, I'm sorry."

"I thought it was sweet."

He put an arm around Haushinka's shoulder and said, "Good duels, clear water, and pretty girls. I should have moved to Japan years ago."

Haushinka looked before them and pointed to a large stone building, "It's the museum!"

She ran ahead to it. "My parents' friend is working in some exhibit here."

"Oh no," said Jake. "We Americans aren't big fans of museums!" He began to run after her. "Haushinka, come back!"

"I just want to say hello to Miss Hawkins and then leave, okay?" she asked.

"Alright," he said. "But can it please be quick? Museums and libraries, they make me nervous." To himself he mumbled, "They're so quiet."

Haushinka stepped inside the exhibit and said, "Hello? Miss Hawkins? It's--"

She gasped.

"What?!" asked Jake. "What's wrong?" He looked to the object of her gaze. It was a carving of two men standing on opposite ends of a burning flame. Their hands were extended towards each other.

Haushinka pointed to the man on the right, "That looks like my dad!"

Jake looked closer at it, "Yeah, it really does! And the other guy looks like Seto Kaiba."

"Is this some kind of joke?!" she shouted into the empty room.

"No, Haushinka," said a warm voice. Nonetheless, it sent a chill down her spine.

"Where are you? What is this?" she asked.

"Don't fear me," said the woman coming out from the shadows. "I've been expecting you."


	11. A Bit Too Real

**A Bit Too Real**

"Who are you?!" asked Haushinka.

"I am Ishizu Ishtar," replied the woman. "I'm sure your parents have spoken of me."

"Yes," answered Haushinka. "So maybe you can tell me what this thing is?" She pointed to the carving.

"Your father has told you of the Nameless Pharaoh?" asked Ishizu.

"The Nameless Pharaoh?" snorted Haushinka. "That's a bedtime story my parents told me when I couldn't sleep. It wasn't real."

"Is that what you think?"

"Yes!" she shouted. "There may have been a Millennium Puzzle, but there were no Shadow Games and there was NO Egyptian Pharaoh's ghost living in my father's body for three years!"

"Did he say that?"

"He doesn't HAVE to!" said Haushinka. "Who'd believe that!?"

"Many things happened in your father's life before your birth," Ishizu explained. "Look at the carving." Haushinka reluctantly put her eyes back on the tablet. She couldn't even blink. Who WAS this man that looked so much like her father?

"This is a depiction of a famous battle between the Pharaoh Atem and his cousin, Priest Seto," said Ishizu.

"Atem?" asked Haushinka.

"You've heard the name," remarked Ishizu. It was not a question, but a statement of fact. "And you've heard of this tablet before."

"This was real?" whispered Haushinka.

"Yes."

"And Yami, my father's other self?" she asked. "He was real, too?" She pointed to the pharaoh in stone, "This was him?"

"Yes."

She looked to the top at the three entities. "And the Egyptian gods!" Haushinka put her face in her hands, "This was real! What else is real? What _is_ real?!"

"Everything your parents have told you was true," said Ishizu.

Jake opened his arms and took her into them.

"You mentioned the Millennium Puzzle," Ishizu continued. "Do you know of the others?"

"Seven," said Haushinka. "There were seven."

"And the Gods?"

"Three," she said. "Obelisk and Ra and Slifer."

"The houses at the Duel Academy," Jake noted. Then he shut up, realizing his statement seemed random and rather stupid in the conversation.

"Seto Kaiba was subjected to this carving as well," Ishizu said. "He still refuses to believe his past. Will you come with me?" she asked. "Jake, too."

His eyes widened. He had only said one sentence the whole time, much less his name. This intrigued him, and so he led Haushinka deeper into the exhibit.

"When Pharaoh Atem died, he gave the throne to his cousin," Ishizu told them as they walked. "When Seto's reign ended, he was childless, and the throne went to Atem's daughter."

She put her hands on Haushinka's shoulders, "Haushinka, look into the eyes of Pharaoh Hatshepsut."

Haushinka raised her head to look at a primitive statue. Even with its rudimentary style and age, it made her scream, "OH MY GOD!"

It looked just like her.

"Whoa," said Jake. He turned to Ishizu and asked, "Why does she need to know any of this?! What does it mean?"

"She MUST know this," she replied. "Because I sense a great power within her."

"Power?" asked Haushinka. "What are you talking about?!"

"Six of the Millennium Items are missing," said Ishizu.

"Maybe you should ask your little brother about it!" yelled Haushinka. "If all that stuff is true, he definitely needs a time out badly!"

"My brother has put the darkness in his heart to rest," Ishizu assured her. "However, it does not mean darkness is dead."

"Speak English," demanded Jake. "What are you talking about?"

"The Tomb Keeper Clan wishes to revive Apep, the Egyptian Lord of Chaos," she said. "And with the power of the Millennium Items combined with that of the Egyptian God Cards, it is possible that they might."

Jake voiced Haushinka's thoughts: "Huh?"

"Apep's mission was to destroy the god Ra," said Ishizu. "He was locked away five millennia ago by the queen whose idol stands before you both. If he is ever revived, darkness will descend upon the entire world."

"And what does all this craziness have to do with me?" asked Haushinka

"I fear they will attack soon for the other Millennium Item," Ishizu told her. "I want your help in retrieving them. You have the power to defeat the Tomb Keeper Clan and Apep buried deep inside you."

"Ha, ha, ha," she laughed wearily.

"You laugh, but if you embrace the shadows, you will discover your true abilities," she remarked cryptically. "Will you help?"

She nodded slowly, "I will."

"Haushinka!" exclaimed Jake.

"I don't know anything about what happened five thousand years ago, or about queens and gods," she said. "But I want to help."

"I will call upon you soon, when I need your assistance," said Ishizu.

Haushinka took Jake's arm and started out the door, "Goodbye, Miss Ishtar."

"So long, Haushinka."

Once they were out the building, she dropped onto the steps and asked, "What did I just get myself into?"

"I think you volunteered to take on some wacky cult," he replied.

"That was a rhetorical question," she clarified. She smiled wearily, "The only thing I wished was for this not to be a disaster, and what do I get? Creepy Egyptian statues and crazy missions. I bet you never want to see me again."

"I wouldn't say that," he told her. He took her hands and pulled her to her feet, "Not at all. ... But I _never_ want to go to another museum with you."

"You got it," she said, slightly dazed, staring into his bright green eyes.

When they reluctantly parted, the two spent a full two minutes waving each other goodbye from their doors across the street.

"You are very late, little missy!" said Yugi as she closed the door. He was sitting behind the game shop counter.

"Little missy?" she asked. "Have you been waiting up for me, Dad?"

"I told your mother to stay and keep me company, but she gibber-jabbered about sleep," he answered. "So, where were you? You said lunch date. That didn't imply dinner, too!"

"I think I just got myself into some deep trouble," said Haushinka. Yugi's eyes widened, "What did you do?!"

"I've gotten myself wrapped up in the Shadow Games."

"Oh, thank God!" said her father, letting out a deep breath. Then he jumped up, "What?!"

"I met Ishizu Ishtar and she told me all about the Tomb Keepers stealing the Millennium Items and some Lord of Chaos named Apep ... and I told her I'd help."

Yugi took his daughter in his arms and said, "I am your father. I love you, and I will do all I can to protect you."

"I love you too, Dad."


	12. Problem Pending

**Problem Pending**

That Monday, the door to the Turtle Game Shop opened with brute force.

"Always nice to have you visit, Kaiba," said Yugi.

"Would you like some tea?" asked Téa. "Maybe a cookie?"

Yugi laughed. Seto Kaiba didn't strike him as the type to like cookies. And even if he did, something told him he wouldn't take one from Téa Muto.

"Did that crazy woman Ishizu plant stupid stories in _your_ daughter's head, too?!" asked Seto.

"About Apep and the Tomb Keepers?" asked Yugi. "Yes."

"She's going too far now," said Seto, "It's enough she wasted _my_ time with those fairy tales, but now she wants to drag my family into it!"

"Kaiba, are you still so close-minded that you can't even fathom that what she says just _might_ be true!?" asked Yugi.

"Yugi, you can believe whatever you want," scoffed Seto, "but I--and my daughter--have enough sense to know what's real."

"Embrace the shadows," said Haushinka at that very moment in homeroom. "What do you think it means?"

"Sounds like some fortune cookie, cereal box, Zen stuff to me," said Jake. "But then again, I'm American. We're sort of closed-minded about that."

"Haushinka, that woman is just crazy!" said Gen that same moment in homeroom. She twirled her index finger around her ear and crossed her eyes, "totally insane! Off her rocker!" She threw her arm over her head, "Over the cuckoo's nest!"

"Do _you_ think that, or is that your father talking?" asked Haushinka.

"This is the one thing I can agree with him on!" snorted Gen. "Haushinka, the woman told me I was the reincarnation of an Egyptian Priestess who carried around a scale! You can't possibly think any of that is true!"

"The Pharaoh Atem was real," said Haushinka. She shook her head, "I don't know what to believe. I just know I feel like it's my place to do something. Are you going to help me or not?"

Gen shifted her mouth from side to side. Finally she decided, "Fine. I will. But for you, NOT because I believe in Ishizu Ishtar's babblings."

"Thank you, Gen!" said Haushinka. She threw her arms around her best friend. Gen's face looked pained. She muttered through clenched teeth, "Yay ... now please let go."

Haushinka let out a deep breath. At least now, if everything was true and the world might implode if she played the wrong card in her next duel, she had someone else in her corner.

Jack and Sarah came over to them.

"You didn't go to the arcade!" he yelled.

"Oh, did I say arcade?" asked Haushinka. "I meant park."

Jack growled.

"YOU'RE getting mad at ME for not letting you snoop on my date?"

"YES!" the cousins yelled.

"What _is_ this world coming to?" she asked no one in particular.

Sarah slapped a hand on Haushinka's desk, "So, tell us everything! How'd ya like him? Was it a bust? I bet it was."

"Hi," said Jake, giving her a wave. "Sitting right here."

"Duh," said Sarah. "I can _see_ that!"

"Okay," he said. He whispered to himself, "She's just tactless."

"It was lovely," said Haushinka.

"That's all I get?" asked Sarah. "I play fashion queen for you, and THAT'S all I get?"

"Yes."

"That is BRUTAL!" she moaned.

Jake looked at Haushinka with a smile. She turned and smiled back.

"Come on, Genny," said Sarah. "I think the lovebirds want some private time."

Gen got up out of her seat, followed Sarah and Jack to the corner, and warned, "If you ever call me Genny again, I'll snap your neck."

Sarah felt her neck and moaned, "Don't you think that's a bit harsh?" Gen opened her mouth to reply until Sarah whispered, "SHHH!! They're talking."

"You know my mom's trying to arrange some kind of brunch party for our families," said Jake.

"Yeah," replied Haushinka. "Mom mentioned it."

"You'd think I asked you to marry me," laughed Jake. "But I've been talking about you a lot lately, so I guess ..."

"You've mentioned me to your parents?" she asked.

"Well you and the gang are the closest things to friends I have over here," he explained, "so who else is there?"

She chuckled weakly.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.

"I'm just a little scared of it all," she admitted. "I've never fought a duel I couldn't afford to lose before."

"You'll be great," he guaranteed. "I know it." He grabbed her hand, "And I'll be there, every step of the way, to help any way I can."

She grasped his hand as tightly as she could, "Can we go out again? I need some fun."

"Sure."

"And on that cue," shouted Sarah, "the genius that is Sarah Valentine-Wheeler steps in!"

"Huh?" asked Haushinka.

"Oh no," moaned Gen.

"I've gotten word that the new Jean-Claude Magnum movie is premiering here THIS weekend! We can ALL go! But separately, so you two kiddies can have some fun."

"Jean-Claude Magnum? I swear I've heard that name before," said Haushinka.

"Oh, sweetie, he's only one of the biggest action stars in the world."

"That's not it," Haushinka shook her head. "Where _was_ it? I swear this is gonna bug me until I figure it out!"

"Big whoop, are we going?" asked Sarah.

"What do you think, Jake?"

"Well," he concluded, "as long as we're going separately."

Sarah grasped Jake and Haushinka by their necks, "Oh, this'll be so much FUN!"

"I'm sure," moaned Haushinka.

WRONG!


	13. A Hollywood Twist

**A Hollywood Twist**

"You look very pretty today," Yugi said to his daughter as she braided her hair into two braids. "What are you dressing up for?"

"I'm going out with Jake," she said.

"Again?" he asked. "I thought the bet was one lunch date!"

"Well, Dad, in this strange custom called 'dating,' when you like the person; you usually go on a second date."

"Your _mother_ invited the family over for tomorrow!" he yelled. "Isn't that good enough?"

"Dad, I wish you'd be nicer to Jake," she requested. "He thinks you hate him."

Yugi paused.

"DA-AD!"

"I don't _hate_ him, Haushinka," he said. "But if he breaks your heart, I'll have to kill him."

Haushinka rolled her eyes and laughed. "I'll see you tonight, Dad." She started down the steps.

"Chuckle all your want; I'm serious!" he yelled after her.

Téa kissed Haushinka on the cheek before she left.

"You have your emergency money?"

"Yes, Mom."

"And if there's a problem?"

"I go to the nearest payphone and call you right away to pick me up, Mom," she recited. "I KNOW, Mom."

"Okay, sweetie, have fun," Téa told her. "And stick with the group!" she added as Haushinka jogged out the door.

"Hey!" Jake called. She threw herself into his arms and proclaimed, "Hey!"

Through the blinds on the door, Yugi and Téa watched their daughter exchange pleasantries with the boy they were starting to think more and more was on his way to being her boyfriend.

"Move those arms up, boy ..."

"Yugi, if his arms were any higher, they'd be around her head," Téa said.

"And, so?" he asked.

The kids started jogging up the street, hand in hand.

"Are you sure you know where you're going?" Jake asked. Still new to the neighborhood, he was kind of blindly following her.

"Would I steer you wrong?"

"I'm not sure..."

"Jake!" she yelled. "Trust me; I know what I'm doing." She pulled him through the crosswalk, running to catch the light before it switched to "Don't Walk." Jake swore he felt the wind of a car rushing by him just before he stepped on the next curb.

"Oh my God, she's going to get me killed," he laughed.

"I don't need cars for that," she mumbled. "My father would _love_ that job."

"I'm sure," he grimaced.

For twelve blocks he trailed behind her, waving their threaded hands about in the air, before he asked, "How much further are we going?"

"Well, well, the lovebirds have arrived!" shouted a familiar voice.

"Apparently not much," Haushinka answered him.

Sarah was sitting on a fountain in a purple and pink mini-dress. Kenneth was standing next to her, holding her hand in case she should fall and he had to pull her out.

"What happened to 'separately?'" asked Haushinka

Sarah hoisted herself up and pointed at Haushinka's hair, "What did I aysay about the airhay!"

"'Aysay?'" asked Haushinka. "Where'd YOU get your Pig Latin dictionary? And you said 'ponytails!' These are braids!"

"Anything that made people go 'awww' when you were a kid is a teenage fashion DON'T!" moaned Sarah. She stomped away screaming, "Look what she gives me to work with!"

"_I_ like it," Jake said. Haushinka smiled at him.

"Where is Jack?" asked Sarah, glancing at Kenneth's watch. "Could he be ON TIME just ONCE?!"

A red motorcycle with a logo that read KC on the sides stopped near them. The rider took off her helmet and said, "I had to take this so I could lose that dork Jack Devlin."

Gen got off the bike and stood before them in a flowing white jacket, a black shirt with the KaibaCorp logo on the chest, pants that said 'Kaiba' on the right leg and 'Corporation' on the left, and black high heels, the right donning a K and the left a C.

"Self-promotion?" asked Jake. Gen snorted.

Haushinka leaned closer to him and whispered, "Her dad has her wear all that. She HATES it. Says she looks like a walking billboard."

"Well... she kind of does," he muttered back.

"Gen," called Jack, emerging form a black convertible, "I know you like playing hard to get and all that, but I'm not gonna wait forever!"

"Good," she gibed, "the less time I have to keep shooting you down."

He shook his head, "Oh, Gen, you're so transparent."

"You moronic imbecile!!" she screamed. Haushinka ran to hold her back, "Let's go, to the show! Where there are witnesses!"

"Let me at him!" shrieked Gen. "Let me at him!!!" Eventually, when they got to the velvet rope and red carpet, Gen's shouts turned into gentle muttering.

"Excuse me," said Sarah, pushing past to the front of the rope, "pardon me."

Jake was also mumbling as they walked through the crowd.

"Don't worry," said Haushinka. "We'll get in the theater and it'll be dark and we can sneak away from the group and be ... semi-alone."

"Yeah ..." he said, sounding a bit dejected.

One by one, the stars of the picture came down the red carpet. Haushinka was sure she'd seen some of them on TV, but she really didn't know their names, or usually go to see their movies. Finally, the star, Mr. Jean-Claude Magnum appeared.

"Where do I know that name?!" whispered Haushinka.

Jean-Claude took one glance at the velvet rope, saw Sarah, and grabbed her hand.

"My darling Mai!" he shouted. "I knew you'd return to me eventually!"

Kenneth screamed at the man fondling his girlfriend, "Who IS this old geezer!?"

"And how does he know my mom?!" Sarah added.


	14. Desperate Moves and Measures

**Desperate Moves and Measures**

"Mother?!" asked the man. He let go of Sarah's hands.

"Yeah!" she shouted, pulling her arms away from the rope. "I'm Sarah Valentine-Wheeler. Mai Valentine, female duelist extraordinaire, is my mom and Joey Wheeler, third best duelist in the word according to game creator Maximillion Pegasus, is my dad!"

"How many times do you think she rehearsed that so she could say it and not go out of breath?" snorted Jake.

"She married that loser with the bad hair-do?!" asked Jean-Claude.

"Oh," Haushinka gasped. "THAT'S where I heard his name!! My mom told me all about him and how he tried to get Sarah's mom to marry him!"

"Hey!" Sarah said indignantly. "My father has great hair! What's up with YOURS?! You barely have _any_!" She flipped her own dirty-blonde locks. The comment might not have been nearly as angering if she hadn't inherited his sporadic bangs. "You have some nerve calling my dad a loser! Who got the girl in the end?!" She crossed her arms and turned away, "That's what I thought."

He laughed at her, "You've got spunk, kid. Just like your ol' mom. How'd you like to come back to Hollywood with me?"

She looked him up and down and said, "You're probably old enough to be my grandpa, so no thanks. Besides ..." she took a step towards Kenneth, "I'm spoken for." The group looked around at each other and smiled slyly.

"I see," said Jean-Claude. "But I'm sure Mai would pay dearly to get you back."

He took Sarah's hand, tugged it, and pulled her from behind the velvet rope. He dragged her down the carpet. The group gasped.

"What is he _doing_?!" yelled Jack.

"Let me go, you crazy geezer!" yelled Sarah. She hit his surprisingly firm hand, "LET ME GO!!!" Jean-Claude picked her up, threw her over his shoulder and ran off the red carpet.

"WHOA!!" she screamed as he tossed her into the air. As he took her away from the crowd she screamed, "AHHHHH!!! AHHHHHH!!!"

"SARAH!" shrieked Jack and Kenneth. They jumped over the velvet rope and took off after him.

"Okay, so now we've lost three of us," said Jake. "Now what do we do?"

_"If there's a problem?"_

_"I go to the nearest payphone and call you right away."_

"Jake, do you have a cell phone?"

"Of course," he said, bringing out a cherry red mobile phone. "Doesn't everyone?"

"Well, _I_ don't," she said. "Can I borrow that?"

"Sure," he complied, placing the phone in her hand.

"You and Gen go after them before they try to kick his butt and lose!" exclaimed Haushinka. "I'm gonna call my dad." Instinctively, not a thought put to it, she gave Jake a quick farewell peck on the cheek, "He'll know what to do." She flipped the phone open and started dialing her number.

"Pick up, pick up," she chanted.

Jake stood in place for a moment, staring at her, put a hand to his cheek, and smiled.

"Come on!" shouted Gen. "Let's go!" Reluctantly he took his hand off his cheek and started to push through people with Genesis.

"Excuse us, friends of the victim--er--kidnapee --er--abductee--um... just let us through!" screamed Jake. They leapt gracefully over the rope.

At the Turtle Game Shop, Yugi and Téa sat together, eating dinner alone. Yugi kept glancing at the empty chair Haushinka usually sat in.

"I wish you had bought her a cell phone," Téa sighed. "I'd like to see how she is, too."

Suddenly, the phone rang.

Yugi went to pick it up. He stared at the foreign number and asked, "Téa, do we know this number?"

She got up and said it a few times to herself, "No."

The couple glanced at one another. That could only mean ...

"HAUSHINKA!!" yelled Yugi. He picked it up.

"Dad, it's Haushinka!" she yelled before he could say anything.

"What's wrong?" asked Yugi. "What did that boy do to you?!"

"Jean-Claude Magnum kidnapped Sarah!" she yelled. "He wants her mom to come after him!"

"That's _terrible_ publicity," Yugi mumbled to himself. He asked Haushinka, "Where are you now?"

"I'm at the theater," she told him. "The rest of the gang went after him."

"You're at a payphone?"

"No, Jake's cell."

Yugi put his hand on the bottom of the phone, "Téa, say that number again."

She did.

"Write it down," he ordered.

"What's going on?"

"I'll explain later," he promised. "Just write it down." He took his hand off the phone, and demanded to his daughter, "Go after them! I'm going to get her parents and find you."

"Okay, Dad," she said. "I love you."

"I love you, too," he said. She closed the phone and he hung up.

"Get your coat, Téa," he said. "We have to get Joey and Mai."

"What's wrong?!" she shouted.

"Sarah's been kidnapped!"

"Oh no!" she gasped. She took the coats off the hangers and handed Yugi's to him.

"I'm driving," he insisted, dashing out the door behind her.

"He did WHAT?!" Mai screamed, utterly shocked at the news.

"He took Sarah," Yugi repeated.

"What a psycho!" she said breathlessly to herself. "If he wants me, he'll get me." She went to find her motorcycle helmet.

Joey gritted his teeth and started to growl, "That BASTARD! First he tried to steal my wife, and now he wants my _daughter_!!? Well it ain't gonna happen!" He pulled his duel disk out and put it on his arm, "Joey Wheeler is officially coming out of retirement for one helluva duel!"

"Let's roll," said Mai, tossing her extra helmet to Joey. They left out the front door, followed by Yugi and Téa.

In the parking lot, the Mutos slid into their car while the Valentine-Wheelers stood before Mai's motorcycle.

"Do I HAVTA ride in the back?" he asked.

"Can you _drive_ a motorcycle?" she screamed hysterically, obviously thinking his priorities weren't straight while their daughter was in danger.

"I'll ride in the back," he concurred.

They sped off into the night, with the Mutos' car tailing them closely.


	15. It's in the Blood

**It's in the Blood**

_Duel Two_

Haushinka had just given up hope of ever finding the group as she jogged through the dark streets. But just then, she noticed the denim jacket and pants of someone she knew.

"Jake!" she called. He glanced back at her, but didn't stop. Haushinka picked up her pace until she caught up to him

He asked her, panting, "You got your dad?"

"He's coming," she told him. "He's going to call your phone."

"He has my number!?" Jake shrieked. "Oh well, if I get any mean text messages, I'll know who it is now."

"Where're Jack and Ken?" asked Haushinka, noticing she could only see Gen in front of them.

"Freaking speed demons!" he exclaimed. He pointed forward, "See those dots ... that's them."

"We'll never catch up!" whined Haushinka.

"Come on, ladies, pick up the pace!" yelled Gen.

"If you looked up 'ray of sunshine' in the dictionary, Gen Kaiba's picture would beside it," Jake panted sarcastically. He took Haushinka by the hand, said, "Come on," and started to go faster.

She found the whole thing almost physical torture. She'd never gone that fast before. Her muscles ached. Her mouth was dry. She longed to collapse on the pavement.

_But I have to help Sarah!_ she reminded herself. She and Sarah had been friends since birth. She couldn't abandon her now.

Her hand slipped out of Jake's grip. She started to move faster, faster than she ever thought she could. She went past Ken and Jack, caught up to Sarah and her captor, and cut him off.

"STOP!" she bellowed.

And he did. He stared at her--her forehead to be exact--as if she was some kind of zoo animal.

The rest of the kids joined hands and created a square around the three of them.

"We want our friend back," said Haushinka.

Jean-Claude didn't drop her.

"Have it your way," Haushinka mumbled. She was so close so saying or doing _something_--what, she couldn't quite remember--when another voice resounded though the alley.

"HAUSHINKA, DON'T!"

She looked up, "Daddy, how did you...?" Suddenly, she felt woozy. Her knees gave way, as if all the running she'd done had caught up to her.

Jake gasped, jumped out of the square, and ran to catch her. The square quickly altered itself into a triangle.

"Let my daughter go!" shouted Joey to Jean-Claude. In response, he totally ignored him and said to Mai, "If you come back to America with me, I'll relinquish your precious little girl."

"YA BASTARD!!!" Joey yelled. "I'MA KILL YA!!!" He tried to run over to Jean-Claude, but was held back by his wife, who then spoke.

"Look, give it up!" she shouted. "You're an actor; don't you people deal with rejection all the time!? I'm only going to tell you this once: _give me my daughter back!_"

"You've heard the proposal."

"Yeah, well, now it's time for MY proposal!" said Joey. He extended his arm and put his duel disk from standby to combat mode, "Shuffle up and duel!"

"You want to duel me?" asked Jean-Claude. "Fine." He put Sarah gently to the ground. She ran to help Jake aid the now-unconscious Haushinka.

"YEAH!" replied Joey. "Try draggin' ME off with some dumbass on a kite!"

"Daddy, wait!" called Sarah. "Let _me_ do it!"

Joey's arm went limp, "Sarah?"

"I'll make you both proud!" she cried, glancing from one parent to the other. "Let me duel him!"

Her father stared at her and, for a moment, swelled with pride. He said cockily, "Ya hear that, Magnum? After dis you'll have gotten your butt kicked by TWO generations of Valentines!"

"Joey, you can't be serious," gasped Mai. "She's just a girl!"

"I was her age when I started," he said. "I bet she could duel circles around sixteen-year-old me."

"Well, of course," snorted Mai. "She's got MY blood, but ..."

"Don't you believe in me, Mom?" asked Sarah. Mai opened her mouth, paused, looked from her former suitor to her husband, and then to her child.

"Of course I do, sweetie," she said. "You're a Valentine-Wheeler."

Joey put his disk in standby mode, took it off, removed his deck, and threw it in the air, "Catch!"

By some strange defiance of physics, Sarah managed to jump in the air and slip her hand exactly into the harness. It locked around her arm. She slipped a deck out from a belt around her dress and placed it in the duel disk. It went to combat mode.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

"I've been ready since before you were even born," chuckled Magnum.

"Then let's go," said Sarah.

"DUEL!"


	16. Return of the Harpie

**Return of the Harpie**

_Duel Two: Part Two_

"Let's get one thing straight," Sarah demanded. "No matter what happens here, you're not breaking up my parents." She glanced regretfully at Kenneth before saying, "If I lose ... _I'll_ go with you."

"WHAT?!" screamed all Wheeler relatives (and Ken).

"It's a deal," agreed Magnum.

"YA SICK SONUVA--!!!" screamed Joey. "IF YOU EVEN COME CLOSE TO MY DAUGHTER, I'LL KICK YOUR ASS SO HARD YOUR GRANDKIDS WILL BE SORE!!"

"But I'm not gonna lose, so it won't be a problem anyway," said Sarah. "Now, they say 'ladies first,' so I guess it's your turn."

Joey laughed; that was a slight worthy of _him_.

"You're cute," snorted Magnum. "If you insist. He drew six cards and placed one on the field, I summon the Armed Ninja, in attack mode!"

A black suited figure with a golden staff appeared. His attack was merely 300.

"Oh do you?" asked Sarah. "Well, it's my move." She pulled a card from her deck and smiled. "They say great minds think alike. They duel alike, too. I summon you ... Harpie GIRL!"

A pink-winged blonde creature in a black and blue jumpsuit emgered. Her attack power was 500.

"Harpie, attack the Ninja!" she screamed. The young bird-woman swooped down upon Magnum's monster. It shattered. His life point counter went to 3700.

"End turn."

"You're not bad," said Magnum. "And since you're playing girls, I think I will took. Kunoichi Ayame the Ninja Girl, in defense mode."

A female ninja in a black and red uniform crouched to the ground. Her attack and defense were both 200.

"She won't save you," said Sarah. "I summon Harpie's Pet BABY DRAGON, in attack mode!"

An orange dragon with big green eyes and a black crown flew onto the field. His defense was only 600, but his attack was 1200. Harpie Girl squawked and threw her arms around her pet.

"Harpie, wipe out the Ninja Girl!" demanded Sarah. Harpie Girl sunk her claws into the shoulders of the Ninja Girl. She disappeared.

"Now, Baby Dragon, attack him directly!" Sarah called.

The dragon flew behind Magnum and rammed into him. His life points went down to 2500.

"You're falling a little behind," she snorted. "End turn."

"Then I guess I should catch up," he laughed. "I summon Ninja Commando Kabuki, in attack mode!"

A white clad ninja appeared. His attack and defense were 700.

"And his special effect allows me to summon another ninja!" Magnum explained. Another Ninja Commando Kabuki joined the fray.

"Go, Kabuki!" he yelled. "Destroy the Harpie Girl!" He laughed, "Too bad."

Harpie Girl gasped as she gripped her pet dragon tightly.

"Yeah, for _you_," said Sarah.

The dragon closed his wing, protecting the Harpie Girl. The Kabuki kicked the wing futilely and vanished.

"I guess you've never heard about the Pet Baby Dragon's effects," Sarah explained. "If I have at least one other card with the word 'Harpie' in its name on the field, excluding 'Harpie's Brother', you can only target the dragon. Costly mistake."

His life points went down to 2000.

"I draw," said Sarah. She laughed at the card, turned to Magnum, and asked, "How does it feel?"

"What?"

"To get whipped by someone less than half your age!" she shouted. "I summon Time Wizard!"

Joey grinned at the appearance of the clock shaped magician. _Go get him, kiddo_, he thought.

"Go, Time Magic!" called Sarah. "Turn Harpie Girl and the Baby Dragon into Harpie _Lady_ and her Pet Dragon!"

The monsters grew and evolved into their older forms.

"Pet Dragon, attack the last Kabuki!!" screamed Sarah. The Dragon, twice as big, fangs longer and sharp, eyes no longer huge and cute, roared at the ninja. He disappeared. Magnum's life points depleted to 700.

"Now, Harpie Lady, attack him directly!" ordered Sarah. "Finish this!!"

The blonde, fully-grown Harpie swept upon Magnum and clawed his chest. Magnum's life point counter beeped, signifying his defeat.

"I think I just won," gloated Sarah.

Haushinka's eyes slowly opened.

"You're okay!" gasped Jake. She grinned while the rest of their friends cheered, "Yeah!"

"That's my baby girl!!" screamed Joey. He and Mai slipped under Gen and Ken's arms and hugged her. "I'm so proud of ya!"

"Done like a true Valentine ... and a true Wheeler," Mai grinned with a glance at her husband.

They looked to Magnum.

"You better stay away from our family from now on!" said Sarah. Jean-Claude stood still, breathing heavily, until he did something no one expected ....

He burst out crying.

Joey, Mai, and Sarah all made the same astounded face. This was a grown man, mid-forties to early fifties ... crying.

"And see that?" said Mai. "One of the many reasons I'm happy with my choice." Joey smiled and hugged her.

Sarah looked to Kenneth. He was smiling and nodded. She turned to her father, "Daddy, I have something to tell you."

"What?" he asked. "Ya didn't WANT to go, did ya?"

"No!" she exclaimed. "But Dad ..." she spoke faster, "I'm dating Kenneth!"

Ken and Joey's expressions matched closely. Joey went over to him. Kenneth cowered in fear ... until Joey gave him a bear hug, "Oh, YOU! Welcome to da family!"

Mai and Sarah glanced at one another. This wasn't the reaction they expected.

"Hey, I much rather you than some jerk I don't know!" said Joey. "And if ya do somethin' I don't like ... your dad will be on my side!"

"Oh," moaned Ken. Suddenly, he wasn't so sure this was a good thing.

That was, until Sarah threw her arms around him. "See, no worries!"

"Yeah," he concurred, "no worries." He started to put his arms around her.

"Hey!" Joey warned. "You keep it above da belt there!"

"Yes, sir," croaked Ken.

The group (including the parents) laughed.

_____________

_**Author's note**: I made up that effect for the Time Wizard and the Harpie Girl and the Baby Pet Dragon, but I thought it'd be cute to have the daughter use the signature cards of both parents._


End file.
